Source: SKY_Sports
Woodgate hoping for ex-clubs
Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate has his fingers crossed that his former clubs Newcastle and Middlesbrough will avoid the Premier League drop.[LNB] The centre-back spent a season with Newcastle after leaving Leeds in 2003, and then joined Middlesbrough, initially on loan, three years later following an unsuccessful spell at Real Madrid.[LNB]And as he prepares to face 18th-placed Newcastle at White Hart Lane on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1, Woodgate is hopeful the Magpies, and fellow strugglers Boro, will survive.[LNB]"Obviously I don't want either of my former teams - Newcastle and Middlesbrough - to go down and I hope they can both climb away from the bottom of the table," he said in the official matchday programme.[LNB]Spurs were also fighting at the wrong end of the table before manager Harry Redknapp arrived in October.[LNB]However, the North London club have lost just once on home soil under their new boss and are now targeting Europe.[LNB]Confidence"We've done really well to get out of that situation and all credit to the lads for that," Woodgate added.[LNB]"The new manager came in and has done a great job, we've pushed ourselves up the league and now, as we come into the business end of the season, we are looking to qualify for Europe.[LNB]"There is a lot of confidence running through the side and hopefully that will continue.[LNB]"After two months of this campaign, I don't think many people would have thought we'd be pushing for a European spot, the main thing then was to simply not get relegated.[LNB]"But when you put a run of results together and the league is as tight as it's been this season, that's what can happen.[LNB]"That's exactly what Newcastle have to do now. Any team can put a string of consistent performances together including them. They are more than capable of doing that and getting themselves out of trouble."[LNB]
